In 2025, the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) contributed to poverty-reduction policymaking at four levels: local, regional, national and international. Internationally, Associate Professor Pham Khanh Nam, Rector of UEH’s College of Economics, Law and Government (CELG), was selected by the United Nations as one of 14 members of the High-Level Expert Group on Beyond GDP, developing a broader set of sustainability indicators to support national policy decisions. At national and local levels, UEH conducted 14 commissioned policy-research and review assignments, signed three 2025–2030 socioeconomic-policy cooperation agreements with Vinh Long and An Giang provinces, proposed shock-responsive social protection approaches, and released a national youth-entrepreneurship ecosystem study with UNDP. Regionally, UEH co-organised the TVSEP 2025 conference on poverty dynamics in Thailand and Vietnam, attended by more than 100 researchers.
UEH contributes to multidimensional poverty reduction through three complementary mechanisms: evidence-based policy research, academic–policy dialogue forums, and direct advice and policy review for government bodies. In 2025, it completed and accepted 129 research projects linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, including national- and ministerial-level research. Groups within CELG and the Health and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (HAPRI) focus on poverty dynamics, farm livelihoods, rural child nutrition, social protection and energy poverty.
UEH’s expanded international-policy presence was a defining feature of 2025. Beyond participation in the UN expert group, UEH remained an active partner in the Thailand Vietnam Socio Economic Panel (TVSEP), a long-running household panel dataset documenting poverty and vulnerability in both countries, and collaborated with UNDP Viet Nam and Australian partners on policy-relevant research for vulnerable groups.
| Work | Level – Partner | Deployment | Results / Policy Contributions |
| Join the United Nations High-Level Expert Group on “Beyond GDP” | Level: International.
Partner: United Nations. |
On May 7, 2025, the United Nations announced the establishment of a High-Level Expert Group on “Beyond GDP,” comprising 14 experts, co-chaired by Professor Kaushik Basu and Professor Nora Lustig.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Khanh Nam (Rector of the School of Economics, Law and State Management, UEH) is a member representing UEH. The group developed a conceptual framework and set of indicators for sustainable development that can be applied globally, fully reflecting economic, social, and environmental aspects instead of relying solely on GDP.
Image: UEH has a representative in the United Nations High-Level Expert Group on “Beyond GDP” Source of evidence: UEH Representative Appointed to United Nations High-Level Expert Group on “Beyond GDP” (UEH Portal (EN), May 9, 2025) – Original image file |
This set of indicators supports countries in formulating policies for inclusive welfare and development, including poverty eradication and inequality reduction.
The results were presented at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. |
| Policy critique, commissioned research, and policy discussions for local authorities. | Level: Local and national.
Partners: government agencies, provinces in the Mekong Delta, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Dong Nai; Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. |
Perform policy review and research tasks as commissioned by state and local government agencies.
Organizing seminars on mobilizing resources for developing climate change-adaptive transportation infrastructure in An Giang; and a seminar on “Two-tiered local government”. Training 40 provincial leaders in Dong Nai on sustainable development planning and green growth.
Image: Seminar on mobilizing resources for transportation infrastructure development in An Giang, adapting to climate change. Source of evidence: From research to policy: UEH accompanies in addressing local development challenges (UEH Portal, February 4, 2026) – Original image file
Image: Seminar on the topic “Two-tiered local government” Source of evidence: From research to policy: UEH accompanies in addressing local development challenges (UEH Portal, February 4, 2026) – Original image file |
Fourteen policy review and research tasks were undertaken on commission, contributing to regional and national policy.
129 research projects were approved, all aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. |
| Cooperation in consulting and providing feedback on socio-economic development policies with Vinh Long and An Giang provinces for the period 2025–2030. | Level: Local.
Partners: People’s Committee of Vinh Long province (before and after merger with Tra Vinh and Ben Tre), People’s Committee of An Giang province. |
February 25, 2025: Signed a cooperation program with the People’s Committee of Vinh Long province, including consulting on proposing, implementing, and evaluating the province’s socio-economic policies, recommending policies to the central government, providing policy critiques, and training officials in policy analysis and implementation.
October 18, 2025: Signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with the People’s Committee of An Giang province on consulting on socio-economic development strategies and training of officials and civil servants. November 3, 2025: Signed a cooperation agreement with the People’s Committee of Vinh Long province on consulting and providing feedback on socio-economic development policies and plans.
Image: Vinh Long Provincial People’s Committee and UEH signing a Memorandum of Cooperation. Source of evidence: Signing Ceremony of the Cooperation Program between the People’s Committee of Vinh Long Province and the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH Mekong) for the period 2025 – 2030 (UEH Mekong Portal, February 25, 2025) – Original image file
Image: Overview of the signing ceremony for the cooperation agreement with the People’s Committee of Vinh Long province. Source of evidence: Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics (UEH) and the People’s Committee of Vinh Long Province signed a cooperation agreement for the period 2025 – 2030 (UEH Portal – event on November 3, 2025, page without publication date) – Original image file
Image: UEH and the People’s Committee of An Giang province sign a comprehensive cooperation agreement for the period 2025–2030. Source of evidence: Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and the People’s Committee of An Giang Province signed a cooperation agreement for the period 2025 – 2030 (UEH Portal, October 20, 2025) – Original image file |
Three provincial-level cooperation agreements for the period 2025–2030 will serve as the foundation for policy consultation activities on socio-economic development and poverty reduction in the Mekong Delta region. |
| TVSEP 2025 Conference and Workshop: “Poverty Dynamics and Sustainable Development in Thailand and Vietnam” | Level: Regional (Thailand – Vietnam) and International.
Partners: TVSEP network, German Research Foundation (DFG), Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), Ubon Ratchathani University, Bac Giang University of Agriculture and Forestry. |
March 5, 2025: “TVSEP Data User” Workshop to enhance capacity in data mining on monetary poverty and multidimensional poverty, asset dynamics and structural poverty, and weather shocks.
March 6-7, 2025: Workshop with sessions on health and social factors, the impact of Covid-19 and external shocks, agricultural transformation, inclusive finance, and digital transformation. The roundtable discussion focused on the gap between academic research and policy.
Image: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Khanh Nam giving the opening speech at the TVSEP 2025 Workshop. Source of evidence: TVSEP 2025 Workshop at UEH: Discussion on poverty and sustainable development in Thailand and Vietnam (UEH Portal, March 10, 2025) – Original image file
Image: The panel discusses “Insights from the conference and further research needs” Source of evidence: TVSEP 2025 Workshop at UEH: Discussion on poverty and sustainable development in Thailand and Vietnam (UEH Portal, March 10, 2025) – Original image file |
Over 60 people attended the workshop, and more than 100 researchers from Vietnam, the UK, Germany, Thailand, Spain, and Malaysia participated in the conference.
Recommendations: Develop an accessible policy brief, combine TVSEP data with other sources to formulate policy recommendations, and study the long-term impacts of economic and climate shocks on households. |
| Research and policy dialogue on nutrition, food security, and livelihoods by the HAPRI Institute. | Levels: International, regional (Mekong River basin), and national.
Partners: Australian Alumni Grants, ACIAR, IDRC, CIAT – Alliance of Bioversity International, Nafosted Foundation. |
The Vietnam-Australia project on nutrition for children in disadvantaged rural areas aims to strengthen dialogue between research and policy on nutrition and food security.
A project on food loss in the Mekong catfish value chain, linked to climate change and livelihoods. Studies on trade liberalization and household nutrition, energy poverty, migration, and livelihoods.
Image: Vietnam-Australia project on nutrition for disadvantaged rural children. Source of evidence: HAPRI: Connecting knowledge and practice for sustainable agriculture and food security (UEH Portal (EN), January 30, 2026) – Original image file |
Several studies contributed to the policy document for the 14th National Congress of the Party.
International cooperation projects with a total budget of over 426 million VND; 12 ISI/Scopus publications. |
| National Workshop of the School of Economics, Law and Public Administration 2025 – Public Finance and Social Security Policy | Level: National.
Partners: Institute of Economic and Financial Strategy and Policy (Ministry of Finance), Nha Trang University, University of Finance and Marketing. |
On October 3, 2025, the plenary session “Public Finance and Tax Policy under the Impact of Digital Transformation, Restructuring, and Global Changes” was held.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hong Thang presented on the role of social security in helping people overcome crises according to the Social Security Shock Response Model (SRSP).
Image: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hong Thang presenting a paper on social security in response to shocks. Source of evidence: National Conference on the School of Economics, Law and Public Administration 2025 (UEH Portal, October 8, 2025) – Original image file |
It is recommended to build a social security system that operates according to predetermined rules, based on the principle of “Right – Sufficient – Timely,” and to utilize digital platforms to support people when they experience crises.
71 research papers were submitted; 53 were presented in 11 parallel sessions. |
| National Study on the Youth Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Vietnam (in collaboration with UNDP Vietnam) | Level: National.
Partners: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Vietnam, Youth Co:Lab (UNDP and Citi Foundation), UEH Innovation Institute. |
The study will utilize nationwide data, combining qualitative and quantitative methods, and consult with stakeholders; it is scheduled to be completed by the end of May 2025.
Evaluate the policy framework, access to finance, human resources, infrastructure, and markets for youth entrepreneurship; identify disparities between regions. Officially announced on August 12, 2025 (International Youth Day).
Image: Announcement Ceremony of the National Study on the Youth Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Vietnam Source of evidence: Research Project on the Youth Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Vietnam, in Partnership with UNDP Viet Nam, Officially Launched in August 2025 (UEH Portal (EN), August 23, 2025) – Original image file |
The proposed policy recommendations for the next phase aim to build an inclusive entrepreneurial foundation, creating livelihoods for over 22 million young people in Vietnam (approximately 36% of the workforce). |
These examples affirm that UEH actively participates in poverty reduction policy planning at the local, regional, national, and international levels through research, policy forums, and consultation and feedback for state agencies.
Compared to 2024, UEH is more directly involved in poverty eradication policy planning and is present at all four levels. At the international level, UEH has its first representative in a high-level expert group of the United Nations – the “Beyond GDP” Expert Group; at the regional level, TVSEP cooperation continues from 2024 and develops into the TVSEP 2025 International Conference held at UEH with more than 100 researchers; at the national level, UEH provides recommendations on social security shock response and, together with UNDP Vietnam, publishes the National Study on the Youth Entrepreneurship Ecosystem; at the local level, UEH expands policy advisory cooperation with provinces following administrative unit reorganization through 3 agreements for the 2025–2030 period with Vinh Long and An Giang provinces. While in 2024 UEH had 11 ministerial-level projects, 96 institutional-level projects, and 12 international projects serving poverty reduction policies, in 2025 UEH will have completed 129 projects linked to the Sustainable Development Goals and directly carried out 14 policy review and research tasks commissioned by state and local agencies.
Therefore, it can be seen that UEH is not only a training institution but also a center for policy knowledge, contributing to the development of multidimensional poverty eradication policies in Vietnam, the region, and the world, towards Sustainable Development Goal 1 – Eradicating Poverty.